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title: Obama: President Says Youth Have Bigger Issues Than Legal Marijuana
description: Obama thinks youth should worry about issues like climate change, the economy, war and peace more than legal pot
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article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T05:12:13.836Z
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# Obama Says Youth Have Bigger Worries Than Legal Pot

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by 

[Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/)


## Maya Rhodan


Mar 16, 2015 11:12 PM UTC

by 

[Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/)


## Maya Rhodan


Mar 16, 2015 11:12 PM UTC

President Barack Obama said in a [new interview](https://news.vice.com/video/president-obama-speaks-with-vice-news) that America’s youth should be worried about a lot more than whether they can legally smoke marijuana.

“Young people, I understand this is important to you, but you should be thinking about climate change, the economy, war and peace,” he told _VICE_ during the interview, notably published at 4:20 p.m. ET, a nod to pot smoking culture. “Maybe way at the bottom you should be thinking about marijuana.”

_VICE_ founder Shane Smith said legalizing marijuana would be a key part of the President’s legacy for the millennials, whose votes helped carry him to the White House, but Obama gave a measured response when Smith asked whether legalization could happen before he leaves office.

So far, four states and the District of Columbia have legalized some recreational use of the drug, and 23 states and D.C. permit its use for medicinal purposes. Last week, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Cory Booker of New Jersey [introduced historic legislation](http://time.com/3738038/medical-marijuana-congress/) that would end the federal ban on medical pot.

[Watch the full interview at _VICE_.](https://news.vice.com/video/president-barack-obama-speaks-with-vice-news)

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